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ADIDAS NEO SETS UP TEN STORES IN GERMANY

Adidas Neo Label, the sports brand’s concept addressing the 14- to 19-year-olds, is in the middle of a series of flagship store openings in Germany. The label opens a total of ten own stores - all placed in AAA locations - in nearly weekly intervals. The pilot store opened its doors in Hamburg’s Poststraße on February 2, it was followed by openings in Düsseldorf last week and Frankfurt today.

Claire Midwood, Vice President Adidas Neo Label, explains the brand’s strategy: „Neo is all about the new: new definitions, a new concept and new spirit. Everything we do is based on this theme and we are very happy being able to offer products and in-store experiences which reflect this very idea“.

In Europe, the Neo Label had previously only been present in wholesale and in selected Adidas stores. Currently the only mono brand Neo stores are located in Russia and China. For the expansion of own retail activities, Germany has clearly been chosen as a test market.

The Neo assortment consists of casual sportswear products, all being a bit more colorful and younger than one would expect within the traditional Adidas collection. A head-to-toe collection from denims, college jackets, checked shirts and printed tops to beachwear, sneakers and accessories is available in the shops. T-Shirts retail at about €15, checked shirts and pants at €30, footwear is available from €35.

The 250 sqm Shop in Hamburg was the first of ten Adidas Neo Stores in Germany

The Sense of TogethernessMuch importance is attached to the new store concept, which is sharply tailored to the teenage target group of the brand and contains many interactive elements. One highlight is the so-called „Social Mirror“, a life-sized flat screen with which customers can take pictures of themselves in their Neo outfits and immediately share them on Facebook or Twitter. Within the stores, more displays and flat screens presenting selective content from campaign videos to music titles can be found. Neo highlights the sense of togetherness and wants their customers to feel like being part of a community. In this context, Neo operates a well-frequented Facebook page presenting new styles, competitions or in-store events and also sends out text messages to their customer base to tell them about exclusive offers.

But not only consumers, also staff members are connected multimedia-based. Two employees per store carry iPods, which constantly keep them connected to the merchandising team in the Neo headquarter in Herzogenaurach, so that instructions and feedback on the placement and presentation of the merchandise can be exchanged quickly. Also, all members of the staff are connected to an intern twitter feed, keeping them informed about new merchandising or marketing actions, no matter if they are in- or outside the shop.

Direct Store-to-HQ Feedback Thanks to innovative RFID technology, all Neo stores are able to identify product demand very promptly. There are daily product deliveries (six times a week) to accurately respond to sales numbers. For getting products quicker to the market, Neo has also shortened their development times: „ We have different segments of product: basics, seasonal, trend and lifestyle. Whereas our basics and seasonal segments follow traditional short development cycles, our trend/lifestyle products need to get faster to market to respond to consumer demand. This is where our 3 and 6 month development calendars come in. With shorter cycles and with our direct store-to-HQ feedback loop we are able to make product trend changes and embellishments. We are very excited about this offer and hope our consumers respond favorably. “, explains Kimberly Wallengren, Senior Brand Marketing Manager, Adidas Neo.